Mitchell receives distinguished nursing research award

Pamela Mitchell, associate dean for research in the School of Nursing, has received the 2007 Pathfinder Distinguished Research Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research.

The award honors nurse researchers whose work has focused on advancing deep understanding of human health and health care and whose scholarly work illustrates a longstanding commitment to nursing research that has made a difference in the lives of people with health care needs.

Mitchell has been involved in nursing practice, education, and clinical and systems research for 45 years. She pioneered research on the relationship between brain injury, intracranial pressure and bedside nursing care.

She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a doctorate in health-care systems ecology from the UW. She received a master’s degree with a focus on medical-surgical clinical specialization from the University of California, San Francisco.

Mitchell is also director of the Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education and Research; adjunct professor in the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine; and professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems.

She chairs the Initial Review Group for the National Institute of Nursing Research; serves on the advisory council to Triservice Nursing Research; and serves on the steering committee for patient safety initiatives at the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research provides resources to support nursing research and seeks to support research-based practice through education about advances made possible by nursing research.